Within These Empty Walls
by SasukeUchihasGuardian
Summary: Orochimaru places a jutsu on Sasuke's curse mark, causing him to act strangely. He wants to hide it from his team, but how long can he keep that up before they realize something is terribly wrong? No pairings. Small hints of Parental KakaSasu in future.
1. Uncertainty

Within These Empty Walls

Summary: Orochimaru places a jutsu on Sasuke's curse mark, causing him to act strangely. He wants to hide it from his team, but how long can he keep that up before they realize something is terribly wrong?

Rated: T

**Epilogue:**

Sasuke was frozen on his feet. His blood ran cold through his veins. Of all the people he could've met walking through the forest, it had to be _him. _The older man laughed seeing him stiffen up, taking a step closer towards the Uchiha boy.

"Nice to see you again, Sasuke-kun." The voice was a low hiss with a teasing hint to it.

"Orochimaru." Sasuke growled. Even though he was afraid, he concealed it well with anger. "What the heck do you want?"

The Sanin chuckled darkly. "Just checking up on my vessel is all." He laughed.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not fully understanding what he meant. He bit his lip, drawing a little bit of blood.

"Why are you so frightened, Sasuke-kun?" The snake laughed as he took a few more steps closer to the boy.

Sasuke gasped and got into his fighting stance. "Stay back!" He yelled, as he created hand signs. A chidori roared to life in the palm of his hand. "I'm not afraid of you! I'll kill you!" He growled, trying to make himself sound as threatening as possible.

Orochimaru laughed like it was the funniest joke he had ever heard. "Really, Sasuke-kun? You're not afraid of me?" He drew out his sword. In an instant, he had disappeared, reappearing behind the Uchiha, the sword against the boy's neck, causing blood to run down the side. He had an arm wrapped around underneath it so he couldn't move it at all.

"Make one move and you're dead." He hissed. He pressed the knife slightly into his skin more, making him grunt in pain.

Sasuke growled and grit his teeth. Orochimaru had him in a position where he couldn't move at all to get away. He sighed in defeat and let the chidori fade away. "What do you want?" He asked, still trying to sound as if he wasn't afraid of dying.

Orochimaru laughed as he loosened the grip as he retracted the sword from his skin, but still had him in the choke hold.

"Hold still, Sasuke-kun." He whispered. Another Orochimaru appeared out of the bushes. He smiled at Sasuke's shocked expression. "You're being held back by a shadow clone." He explained with a chuckle. He walked up to Sasuke and looked him in the eyes.

"I can just tell from the look in your eyes that you're frightened. You can't hide it from me." The clone released his hold on Sasuke's neck, but quickly held him still by pulling his arms back. Orochimaru snickered and lifted the Uchiha's head up with his fingers.

"Leave me alone." Sasuke growled, glaring at the snake Sanin. He laughed and leaned down next to the boy, his lips hovering over the curse mark.

"Hold still, Sasuke-kun." He whispered. He slowly sank his fangs into the curse mark, making Sasuke visibly flinch. He began to struggle, kicking desperately at Orochimaru, but the clone used its tongue, wrapping around his legs to hold them still. Sasuke began to sweat as he was forced to be still.

Orochimaru laughed as he released his bite on Sasuke's neck. "Perfect, the mark knows that it's me interacting with it. Now, I can do what I want to do." He smiled. He created multiple hand signs, too fast for Sasuke to see. He couldn't suppress his trembling, as he didn't know what would happen to him. Orochimaru grinned, before stopping on tora, the sign of the tiger.

"Have fun." He laughed, biting back down on the curse mark once again.

A searing pain shot throughout Sasuke's body, making him scream in agony. Both Orochimaru and his clone let go of him, and he fell to his knees, gripping the side of his neck. His nails dug into it, making even more blood pour from the open wound.

Orochimaru recalled his clone. He laughed evilly before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke continued to cry out in agony. He thought he had heard someone calling out his name, but before he could do anything, he fell onto his side, and blackness immediately consumed him.

**Chapter 1: Uncertainty**

When Sasuke awoke sometime later in the day, he groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on his left side, under the faded blue covers of his bed. His fingers subconsciously rested on his curse mark, but he realized that there were bandages wrapped around his neck multiple times. He sighed and closed his eyes again, not really sure what had happened.

"Sasuke? You awake?" He heard someone whisper his name quietly. He opened his eyes a few seconds later and looked up to see his sensei leaning against the wall, a make out paradise book flipped open to the middle. He was looking down at him with a serious look on his face.

"You're lucky I found you when I did." He whispered. "You had lost a lot of blood…" Sasuke sat up, but was met with a coughing fit.

"Be careful Sasuke, you just woke up." He said, closing the book and walking to his side.

"I'm fine." He said after his coughing died down. He tried to remember what had happened before.

"What happened out there?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke sighed, as the memories came back to him. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Orochimaru…" He whispered. Kakashi's expression didn't change.

"I should've known it had something to do with him. After all, it was your curse mark that had been affected."

Sasuke nodded, before continuing. "Orochimaru had found me in the forest. He… he trapped me… and he did some weird jutsu on my curse mark. His hands maneuvered too fast for me to read what they were. Before I knew it, he… he bit down on the mark again. I don't remember anything after that." He looked down at his hands, and he realized they had been trembling.

Kakashi sighed. "I should've known." He repeated, shaking his head. He sat down on the bed and reached behind Sasuke's neck. He undid the bandages, removing them.

"The blood's beginning to seep through. I should change these. I also want to take a look at the wound to see if there's something recognizable." He went into the bathroom to grab more bandages. He came back a minute later with them, along with some spray. He sat back down on the bed.

"Turn your head away. This spray might sting a little, but it'll help stop the bleeding and clean it out." He informed Sasuke, who nodded and turned his head so his curse mark was clearly exposed. Kakashi shook the bottle, and sprayed it all over the mark. Sasuke winced a little, but stayed still and allowed the medicine to do its thing.

"There." Kakashi stopped spraying it, and set it down on the nightstand next to him. "Wait a couple of minutes and I'll rewrap it." He put the spray away, and got out a dark blue cloth, which he used to wipe the blood that was sliding down his neck. Sasuke nodded and moved his head back to its normal position. He looked down at his hands again, glad they had stopped shaking.

After a couple of minutes, Kakashi rewrapped the bandages around his neck. When he finished, he placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, making him look up.

"Do you feel any different? Tell me everything you feel that isn't normal." He told him, his tone serious.

Sasuke thought for a minute, deciding if he should tell Kakashi about the feeling in his stomach that felt strange. It wasn't a pain, tingle, or warmth. It was just an indescribable feeling.

"I don't feel anything at all." He told his platinum haired sensei. The last thing he wanted was to be getting multiple x-rays and various tests done on him to see what was wrong.

Kakashi nodded, believing Sasuke. "That's good. Will you let me know if anything happens?"

Sasuke just nodded back.

He patted his head. "Thanks. I'm going to go home now, alright? We've got no more missions for awhile now, so you can just take it easy." He told him, before patting his head and leaving.

Sasuke sighed as he watched him leave. He lied back down on his bed, gazing up at the ceiling. _What happened back there?_ He wondered, becoming lost in thought as the painful memories carved through his mind. He placed a hand on his curse mark, digging his nails in a little, but not too much where it would hurt it. _What did he do to me?_

Sasuke ended up dozing off thinking about what Orochimaru had done to him, and what might happen to him in the future.

It was later into the day when Sasuke woke up to a strange pain on his neck, making him growl in annoyance. He sat up and rubbed his temples, unsure of what to do. He stood up, deciding to get a drink of water. As he walked down the hallway, the pain increased. He slid against the wall, falling to his knees and grunting. He ripped off the bandages, and found the marking were beginning to spread. They had covered his entire shoulder and spread across his chest.

"Dang it." He growled. He tried to stand again, but it suddenly pulsed, making him collapse to the ground. He cursed under his breath, as he began crawling over to the living room, which was the closest place he could lay down that wasn't on the floor.

He pulled himself onto the couch, resting his head against the arm, which was thankfully low enough to be used as a pillow. He unintentionally let out a moan of pain, gripping the curse mark again lightly.

_It hurts…_ He thought. _But… why?_ He moaned again as it pulsated, sending waves of pain through his entire body. He had wished he told Kakashi at this point. Perhaps he wouldn't have been suffering like he was now. He wanted to call for his sensei, but he knew it would be useless. He gasped and jumped as the pain increased, and the markings spread farther down his body. He curled into a ball and buried his head in his knees, trying to keep himself from screaming.

He stayed like that for an hour and a half, his consciousness fading in and out the entire time. The curse had spread across his whole entire body, before finally receding back into his neck. The unbearable agony slowly began to ebb away. He groaned and lifted his head up slowly, as he was met with a sharp pain in his head.

He lied his head back down again, not wanting to move anymore. His mouth was dry and his lips were chapped from lack of water, but he decide he'd rather stay thirsty than to feel more pain.

He wasn't sure how long he had lied there, unmoving, just staring off into space. All he knew was by the time he dared to lift his head to peek outside the window, he realized it was very late. Probably a little later than midnight. He sighed in relief and flopped his head back down on the armrest. He closed his eyes, thankful he could sleep for a long time.

_Maybe by tomorrow… this whole thing will go away…_ He thought just before he drifted off into what he thought would be a pleasant, dreamless sleep.

**Chapter 1 is done.**

**Let me know in a review what you thought about the story. Sorry for the first chapter being short. Not sure how fast this story will be updated, but it shouldn't take a month per chapter. I can almost guarantee that.**

**Thanks for reading. Please review.**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	2. Two Kinds of Darkness

Within These Empty Walls

**A/N I am so sorry for not updating faster! My sister got a virus on my laptop that completely ruined it and I haven't been able to get a computer until now! So just to let you know, updates will be very slow until I get a computer I can frequently have access too. It's hard because I can't go on my dad's computer (I'm grounded if I even touch it) and my mom's laptop is her work computer, and my sister also got a virus on the "kids computer" that my brother and sister were supposed to use. Also, at the library they don't give me enough time to write out a chapter and I can't just go to the library every day. I'm so sorry. But I promise you, know matter how long it takes, I swear I won't give up on this story.**

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 2: Two Kinds of Darkness**

In Sasuke's dream, all he saw was darkness.

Darkness that engulfed any and every source of light, swallowing the Uchiha in its unknown whereabouts.

He glanced around fearfully, sweat beads clinging to his forehead. He could feel his legs shaking beneath him, and his arms felt heavy as he kept them up in a defensive position.

_Where the heck am I?_ He looked around panicked. He heard a familiar laughing somewhere in the distance and he whipped his head around, gritting his teeth and deepening his stance.

"Who's there?" He growled angrily, trying to conceal his fear with anger.

The laughing continued a little longer, before it died down to chuckles.

"Sasuke-kun… " His eyes widened as he recognized who it was. He grit his teeth even more.

"Orochimaru." The man laughed again, and suddenly, Orochimaru's head appeared in the blackness, towering over Sasuke. He smiled crookedly as he saw Sasuke's shocked expression.

"What did you do to me?" He spat angrily at the man. The Sanin chuckled at him.

"You'll find out soon enough, Sasuke-kun." He laughed. The giant head faded to darkness, and Orochimaru, now life sized, stepped out in front of Sasuke, only about ten feet away.

"Why you..!" Sasuke yelled angrily, a chidori sizzling to life as he charged at the snake man. He laughed and sat there as the Uchiha struck. He smirked, but then gasped when he realized that his attack went _through_ Orochimaru's body. He turned around and stared shocked, and lunged at him again, only to have the same thing happen to him again. He growled angrily at him, and the Sanin just laughed playfully. He reached his hand out and lightly brushed his white fingertips against Sasuke's cheek. He tried to jerk away from him, but he found his whole body was paralyzed.

"Sasuke-kun… how I can't wait until I have this body of yours…" He whispered, and Sasuke's eyes widened a little.

_W-what? My body? _ He thought, completely thrown off by the statement. He shifted his eyes to Orochimaru's hand, and he saw silver snakes begin to slither out from his sleeve. He gasped as they began twirling around his body, pinning his arms to his sides and coiling around his legs. He could feel their tongues gently brushing against his legs. More and more continued to come out, and by the time Orochimaru had stopped stroking Sasuke's cheek, they had completely covered him from head to toe. One was wrapped around one eye, and into his hair and back down by his neck. He began trembling and found he was no longer paralyzed.

He began desperately struggling to get free. The snake near his neck slithered to the other side to the Curse Mark, which was beginning to throb as the snake's tongue gently slid against it. He watched it with fearful eyes as it opened its mouth and chomped down harshly on the mark. Sasuke winced as the fangs sank deeper and deeper into his skin.

He sat unmoving for a moment, until suddenly, there was a burning sensation on the mark. He felt as if the mark was on fire. He screamed out in agony and the snakes slid off of his body and back to Orochimaru's sleeves. The Sanin watched with a wicked grin as Sasuke dropped to his knees, digging his fingernails deeply into the already bleeding skin. Sasuke lowered his head to what felt like ground to him so he wouldn't see the tears spilling down his cheeks.

"How does it feel, Sasuke-kun?" The man laughed quietly, kneeling down next to the sobbing Uchiha. He slid a hand underneath his chin attempting to pull his head up, but he turned his head and cried out louder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, lifting his head up while saying it. The Sanin got a good look at the tears and just laughing louder.

"You're coming with me, Sasuke." He smiled. Another snake slid out and bit down on the side of Sasuke's neck, away from the mark this time. Sasuke winced, but suddenly felt a drowsiness that was beginning to increase inside of him. He could feel his limbs getting heavy and his body going numb. With some relief from the pain, he began weakly trying to crawl away from the Sanin, who did nothing but sat back and watched, feeling entertained by Sasuke's attempts to get away. Sasuke got about five feet away when he collapsed on his chest, panting heavily.

"Had enough, Sasuke-kun?" He smirked as a giant snake slithered out from behind him, looming over Sasuke hungrily. Sasuke looked up drowsily and his eyes widened a little at the reptile above him. He cried out in fear as it opened his mouth, and swallowed him whole. Blackness consumed him.

Sasuke gasped and awoke with a scream, and he panicked when his scream was accompanied by another, louder one. Sasuke's eyes shot open and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground, on top of something bright orange.

"What the heck Sasuke? Get off of!" Naruto yelled. "You're crushing me!"

Sasuke stopped flailing and relaxed a little when he realized it was only Naruto, and that the whole thing had only been a dream. He sighed and closed his eyes, unmoving as he tried to calm himself down.

"Geez Sasuke, what's wrong with you? Hey, Sasuke! Sasuke? Sasuke, what's wrong with you?" Naruto asked him, realizing his eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes and narrowed them at the blonde.

"What are you doing in my house you usuratonkachi?" He spat at Naruto, trying to get up, but collapsing back onto the ground with a quick gasp of pain. The blonde whipped his head to look at Sasuke as he fell back down on him.

"Sasuke! What the heck-?" He paused and gasped. "You're hurt! How did that happen?" Sasuke turned his head a little and noticed his Curse Mark was bleeding, and that his fingertips were covered with it.

_I must've been digging my nails into the mark in my sleep._ He thought, he quickly covered it up with his hand, but Naruto began trying to pry it away.

"Let me see!" He yelled.

"Get away from me, you idiot!" He yelled. He suddenly gasped and cried out in pain, falling to his side and grabbing the mark again. He clenched his teeth together and turned away to avoid Naruto's panicked stare.

"Sasuke!" He yelled, placing his hand on his teammate's shaking back.

"GO AWAY!" Sasuke suddenly screamed out, making Naruto quickly jump backwards in surprise.

"Sasuke I…" he was cut off as Sasuke yelled at him again.

"GO AWAY! JUST LEAVE! AND DON'T YOU DARE TELL ANYONE!" Naruto gasped, his eyes widening a little.

"No! I'm not going to leave you!' He yelled defiantly. Sasuke growled and was about to yell a scathing reply when the mark pulsated and he cried out again, collapsing completely onto the ground. He felt Naruto's strong hands on his back as he tried to communicate with him, and the last thing he saw was panicked baby blue eyes staring down at him, before his eyelids slid shut and everything went black.

**Well that's all for chapter 2! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank my mom for allowing me one night to write my heart out! (I'm going to start writing the third chapter right now, but I won't update until a little later so there isn't a long wait again)**

**The more reviews I get, the faster I can update (because my mom sees them and feels bad!)**

**So REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Also, if you have any recommendations on what should happen this story (to add extra chapters to it besides my already planned-out plot) please email me at**

**Fanfic . sasukeuchihasguardian gmail . com (remove spaces)**

***Please note that I hardly respond to PMs EVER, and by using email I can respond back to everyone, not just people with an account.**

**Thanks!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	3. Sasuke, Tears, and Medication

**Within These Empty Walls**

**Well here you go! Chapter 3! Please enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Sasuke, Tears, and Medication**

Sasuke blinked his eyes open slowly, but his eyelids slipped shut almost instantly again, feeling like they weighed forty pounds each.

"Sasuke? You didn't fall asleep again, did you teme?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto be quiet, if he's tired, he can sleep. He's worn out." Sasuke heard Kakashi's voice. He groaned and opened his eyes slowly, but he could feel his eyelids drooping down again, as if his eyes were fighting him to close. He lolled his head to the side and opened them halfway and stared out at what was in front of him, which happened to be Kakashi's vest.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?" His sensei's tone was serious. Sasuke didn't answer, but just blinked slowly. Kakashi sighed and put a hand on the cheek that was facing up, instead of pressed against the pillow. Sasuke's eyes blinked heavily again, but didn't look at him. He sighed quietly and patted his student's back.

"Go back to sleep, Sasuke." He whispered quietly. Sasuke glanced up tiredly and met Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura's gazes. He exhaled deeply, and then slowly let his eyelids slip shut.

Just before sleep overtook him, he heard Kakashi whisper _"Shhh…"_ and he felt a gloved hand brush through his bangs, lulling him into the dark abyss of dreams.

Sasuke was a lot less drowsy when he woke up again, and when he opened his eyes, he was grateful to see that it was only Naruto and Kakashi there. The less people the better, and since Sakura had no part in what had happened, he felt she shouldn't be a part of it. He looked outside and was relieved to see it was nighttime. He had slept through the whole day, most likely because of Kakashi giving him something to help him sleep or to ease the pain.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered quietly, unsure whether he was awake or not. He turned his head to look at him, and the blonde sighed in relief.

"You really are awake." He breathed. Kakashi stepped in front of Naruto, bending over Sasuke a little.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. "Be honest. Tell me everything that doesn't seem right."

Sasuke sighed quietly, not really in the mood to explain anything. "I… I guess I just feel a little drowsy…" he whispered.

"What about before you lost consciousness? What happened?"

"I don't really remember…" He lied.

Kakashi sighed and turned to Naruto. "Naruto, will you explain to him what you saw to refresh his memory?"

Naruto nodded and quietly began speaking. "Well, I had come by your house just to say hello, and maybe see if you would go get some ramen with me. I came in and I saw that you were sleeping on the couch, and not in your bed, so I was a little confused. I walked over by you and just whispered your name, and you suddenly screamed and started flailing around like a fish! You fell on top of me! You got mad at me for being in your house and then all of the sudden you began screaming in pain. I tried to ask you what was wrong but you just kept yelling at me to leave. I tried to help you with the pain but you suddenly lost consciousness on me! I didn't know what I should do so I ran to get Kakashi-sensei after I put you back on the couch…" He finished and sighed shakily. "You freaking scared the crap out of me." He admitted.

Kakashi nodded and looked back at Sasuke, and he sat down by his legs on the bed. "So? You remember now?" He asked.

_He really wants to know…_ Sasuke thought.

"Sasuke… I'm only doing this for your safety." He said. Sasuke sighed and finally spoke.

"I guess… I just felt a stinging sensation in the Curse Mark… I don't remember anything after that." He lied, not wanting his teacher to get worried. He was relieved when Kakashi believed him.

"Do you think this is related to Orochimaru?" He asked. Sasuke just shrugged, not answering.

"It's pretty late, Sasuke. Why don't you go to sleep?" He asked. Sasuke nodded, and repositioned the blanket around him. Kakashi nudged Naruto, gesturing towards the door.

When they got to the doorway, he slipped his shoes on. "Kakashi-sensei? Is Sasuke going to be alright?" He asked quietly. Kakashi sighed heavily.

"I don't know Naruto… I don't know." He patted his shoulder. "I'm doing everything I can as a sensei to figure out what Orochimaru did to him. "The last thing I want is to see something bad happen to Sasuke…"

Naruto lowered his eyes and nodded, whispering a goodbye before leaving. Kakashi sighed and locked the door, and made sure all of the windows were locked and the traps were set. He then quietly walked back into Sasuke's room.

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked and Kakashi when he came in.

"You're still awake?" He asked, surprised.

"You're not leaving?"

"No… I'm going to stay here for the night just to make sure that you're okay…" He whispered.

A sigh.

"That doesn't mean you stay up all night just because I'm here."

"Kakashi I swear, if you do anything to me…"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you're a porn-loving perverted teacher." He growled tiredly.

"Oh Sasuke, your words hurt me so deeply." He joked.

"Whatever… I'm not sleeping…" He mumbled sleepily.

"I don't think your body likes that." He laughed, patting his head.

"I'm tired, but I feel like I can't sleep at all…"

"Do you want some medicine? Or do you want me to put you to sleep?"

"Whatever… I don't really care anymore…" he sighed softly.

Kakashi nodded and pulled out some liquid, which he poured into a glass of water he retrieved from the sink. He poured it in and he mixed it up gently so it wouldn't spill.

"One sip of this and you'll be asleep soon." He said as Sasuke drank some of it. "Before when you were asleep, I had you drink some of it so you'd sleep better, which is why you were so drowsy and out of it when you first woke up." He explained. Sasuke nodded and Kakashi took the glass from him. "I probably shouldn't have made you drink it straight without water though…" He smiled behind his mask.

Sasuke began to feel the effects, but it was only an increased drowsiness. "Whatever…" He whispered quietly. Kakashi stood up and turned the lights off, but opened the curtains so there was some light from the moon. Sasuke blinked heavily as Kakashi came back and pulled back the covers, crawling in next to his student after abandoning his vest.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke mumbled tiredly, trying to push him away. "You pervert… get away from me…"

"I'm staying the night here. I know you wouldn't want me to sleep in your parent's room, or Itachi's." He sighed. "So live with it."

Sasuke blinked heavily again. "Out…" he groaned.

Kakashi just smiled about him. "Look how tired you are already Sasuke. The great Uchiha Sasuke isn't losing his battle to exhaustion, is he?" He teased.

"Sh't up… you drugged me…" He murmured sleepily. Kakashi just smiled with his eyes and patted his student's head.

"Goodnight Sasuke." He whispered quietly.

"D'nt… t'ch… me…" he was barely understandable anymore as he tried very desperately to stay awake.

"Shh Sasuke just go to sleep, go to sleep." He murmured quietly.

It only took a few seconds for his eyelids to slide shut as he finally fell into dreams.

Kakashi leaned up against the wall and pulled out his book, having trained himself to read in the dark. He decided he was going to read the night away.

When Sasuke woke up the next day, he realized he felt like _crap._ His whole body felt tired and sore, and he felt sick to his stomach, like he was about to throw up. He shifted uncomfortably onto his side. Bad idea. It just made him feel even more sick. He groaned and curled up in a ball.

"Sasuke? Are you awake?" Kakashi looked at him. "Wow Sasuke… you're pretty pale. You okay?" He asked.

"Do I look okay to you?" Sasuke growled. "I feel like I'm going to throw up…" He groaned again. Kakashi left and quickly retrieved a waste basket for him.

"Here, use this." He sighed. "I'll go get you some medicine from the store." He grabbed the glass of drugged water and brought it back to the kitchen. He slipped on some shoes and he walked outside, locking the door behind him.

Sasuke was left alone feeling like crap. His thirst was beginning to get to him.

_I shouldn't have any trouble just getting a glass of water…_ he thought. He got up, stumbling a little as he attempted to walk down the hallway. Halfway there, he felt the Curse pulsate and he cried out, sliding against the wall onto the floor. He gripped his neck as it throbbed again. He looked at his body and realized the marks were beginning to spread across his entire body. He cried out again and fell to the floor completely. He rested his cheek against the wood, relieved that it was cold. He lied there unmoving, in too much pain to do anything.

_Kakashi-sensei… please get here soon… it hurts so bad…_ he thought as a couple of tears escaped from his eyes.

"Kakashi… Kakashi…! Kakashi!" He desperately tried screaming. His pride no longer mattered to him. All that mattered was making the pain go away, no matter what it took. It was excruciating, worse than it had ever been. On top of it, he was sick, and he ended up throwing up on the floor, thankfully none of it getting on him. He curled up in a ball and cried weakly.

Thankfully, Kakashi came in a few minutes after. He set a bag down on the table and took out the medicine.

"Sasuke I- Oh my God. Sasuke!" He yelled, rushing over to his teammate. "What happened?" He whispered.

Sasuke said nothing but shake his head in pain. He couldn't speak, even if he wanted to.

"Sasuke your… crying…" he whispered, shocked that the Uchiha would ever cry. "Does it really hurt that bad?" Sasuke nodded, another sob escaping him.

"Shh… Just relax okay? I've got some medicine for your fever… hopefully once you calm down a little bit the Curse Mark will go away…" he murmured, picking up his student gently.

"Hurts…" Sasuke whispered quietly, leaning into Kakashi more.

"I know, Sasuke. Calm down okay? Deep breaths." He hushed him, trying his best to get him to calm down so his body could slow. He lied him down in bed and had him take the medication.

"This is non-drowsy, but I'm sure right now sleep sounds amazing to you, huh?" When Sasuke nodded, he sighed. "Do you want me knock you out?" He asked.

"Y-yea…" he murmured quietly. He shakily sat up, trying to drink a little more of the water Kakashi had brought with the medication. Kakashi helped him and set the glass down on the side table.

"Ready?" He asked. Sasuke nodded and tried to sit up straight without making him feel worse. Kakashi felt around his neck for the correct pressure point, and then pressed on it gently. He grabbed Sasuke as he immediately collapsed into his arms. He gently lowered him to the bed, and covered him up with the covers.

"Night Sasuke…" He whispered quietly, sitting down in the chair in the room and pulling out his book.

He wondered if Sasuke would ever be the same after this.

**End!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	4. A Talk with a Demon

**Within These Empty Walls **

**Well, here's chapter 4! Please enjoyyyy!**

**Chapter 4: A Talk with a Demon**

When Sasuke finally woke up and groggily lifted his heavy eyelids, the first thing he realized was that he had a pounding headache and that he felt like absolute _crap._ His whole body was sore, and his stomach felt extremely sick, as if any movement would make him vomit. He flopped a hand limply over his eyes, groaning as the light was sensitive to him.

"Kakashi…" he moaned, hating the sound of his voice so weak and useless.

"I'm here Sasuke. Are you alright?" He was relieved to hear his sensei's voice answer back to him.

"I… I don't feel so good…" he admitted, his voice a mere whisper.

"I know you spiked a pretty high fever during the night. Do you want some medicine and a cold rag?" He felt the bed shift and a hand on his forehead. He turned his head and found Kakashi on the bed beside him, leaned up against the wall and a _Make Out Paradise_ book closed, the page marked by his finger. Sasuke nodded, but was a little surprised when Kakashi pulled his hand back.

"Oh my god, Sasuke. Your fever's so high…" he whispered. Sasuke again felt the weight shift on the bed as Kakashi got off. "Let me go get your medicine… please don't move again until I'm back…" He quickly dashed out of the room, grabbing a wet cloth, some very strong painkillers, and a glass of water. When he returned, he found Sasuke sprawled out on the floor, a pool of vomit beside him. He was trembling weakly and his eyes were squeezed shut tight in pain.

"Oh Sasuke…" He whispered woefully, setting everything on the side table and lifting Sasuke back onto the bed, pulling the covers on him. "This is beginning to get too much for you, isn't it?" He put the cold cloth over his forehead, holding it in place as he weakly lolled his head from side to side.

"St'p it… cold…" he murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

"I know Sasuke, I know. I'm sorry, but it'll make your head feel better." He whispered. He took out three pills and an injection. "Now open your mouth. There are three pills I need you to swallow. I have some water for you." He dropped the pills in his student's mouth followed by some water, which Sasuke gulped down, grateful for something to soothe his dry throat. Kakashi then gave him the injection through his neck, which made Sasuke whimper uncomfortably.

"Those will take away some of the pain and hopefully make you feel better faster. Water and sleep are what you really need though." He sighed, wishing he could do more for his student.

"Kashi… gonna… be sick…" He groaned weakly. Kakashi fetched a bowl just in time before Sasuke threw up into it. Kakashi turned around to give Sasuke some privacy until he finally settled, and he fell back into the covers, panting.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked him, turning around again.

"Water…" he managed.

Kakashi put the glass to his student's lips, and he gratefully drank all of it. Kakashi set the glass down and patted his head gently so he wouldn't upset Sasuke's head or stomach more.

"I'm going to go refill the glass. No moving, alright? Just close your eyes and try your best to fall asleep." He ordered. Sasuke just nodded, too ill to understand half of what his sensei was saying. He muttered something Kakashi couldn't understand, so he just quickly went back to the kitchen to get more water. When he came back, he was pleased to find that Sasuke had finally fallen asleep.

"Good. Finally resting." He whispered to himself, sighing in relief.

The day passed slowly. Sasuke mostly slept through the rest of the night and a good portion of the day. When he was awake, however, it was even if he wasn't Sasuke anymore. He was so delusional, he forgot who he was, and he wondered if Kakashi was his dad. Naruto and Sakura had stopped over, and he couldn't even recognize that they were his teammates. He thought they were burglars, and he couldn't even register that Kakashi was in the room with him, telling him that they were his teammates. It took a good half an hour of Kakashi holding him down whispering words of comfort to him to get him to stop struggling and panicking about Naruto and Sakura being there. Eventually, his fever spiked so high that he couldn't see any of the three, and when Kakashi touched him, he screamed and thought it was a ghost. None of them could believe how delusional Sasuke was, and how bad his condition had gotten.

Eventually, it had gotten too much for Kakashi to handle, and he ended up sending a surge of chakra through his forehead to send him to sleep. Kakashi tucked him in securely, and sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed just below Sasuke's head. He brushed through his bangs softly, watching as he sighed softly in his sleep.

"He needs a hospital, sensei." Sakura whispered quietly.

"I know Sakura, but he'd never forgive me if I brought him there. I know I sound completely unreasonable, since nobody really likes hospitals, but there are things that I can't tell you, because only I know. As his sensei, even though I need to watch out for his safety, I also need to look out for what he wants. I'm not just a sensei to him, I'm his only adult figure in his life, and I have the basic medical knowledge and many medic friends that I can get in touch with quickly. I'm not going to send him to the hospital unless his life is in danger..." He sighed.

Sakura lowered his gaze. "I understand sensei." She whispered.

Naruto walked over to Sasuke and put a hand over his warm teammates. His eyes widened a little, then lowered as his expression turned sad.

"Even Kyuubi can feel something wrong with him. He can feel Sasuke's chakra right now, and he's very restless." He murmured quietly.

"Really?" Kakashi looked surprised. "Can he tell you anything about what's going on?"

"He'll need more than a touch of a hand. He says he needs… a sample of the blood, and an exchange of chakra that I'll need to deliver to him." Naruto explained.

Kakashi nodded and took out a kunai. "Where should I get the blood from?"

"…The stomach."

Kakashi gently pressed the edge of the kunai, barely making a cut, but enough to draw blood. Naruto swiped it onto his thumb and licked it off, swallowing it. He then put a hand on Sasuke's, sucking out some of the chakra. He heard Sasuke whimper uncomfortably, but continued until he heard the fox's voice inside of him.

_**That's enough, kit.**_

He stopped immediately, and waited as Kyuubi examined the results. After a minute, he felt the fox demon call him into the inner depths of his mind. He immediately sent his soul there.

_**Kit, it's worse than you could imagine. Allow me to come out and speak to Hatake Kakashi.**_

"No! Are you kidding me? You'll turn loose and attack the village! I'm no idiot!" He yelled.

The fox snickered. _**Wrong. You are an idiot. And I'm not going to turn loose and attack your pathetic little village. I'm not even leaving your body. I will simply take over, and your consciousness will be under my control for awhile while I speak to your teacher. You will be able to hear everything I'm saying, and you'll be able to communicate with me.**_ He told him.

"You promise?" Naruto asked.

Kyuubi laughed. _**HAHAHAHAHAHA! Kit, you expect me to ever hold a promise to a mere child you? I never make promises to ANYONE, ESPECIALLY not a blonde idiot like you. I won't do anything else. Even if I took over your mind, I still wouldn't be able to release the seal to free me anyway.**_

Naruto sighed. "Alright…" he whispered.

He felt a tug on his mind, and an overwhelming feeling take over him.

Outside, Kakashi and Sakura backed away as red chakra began coating around Naruto's body in the form of a fox. Kakashi, not understanding what was going on, stepped in front of Sasuke's body defensively.

When Naruto opened his eyes, they were piercing red, and his smile revealed bright white fangs.

"**Greetings, Kakashi Hatake."** He said.

_That voice..! _Kakashi thought. "Kyuubi?" He asked.

"**Don't worry. I'm not doing anything to anyone. I'm here to talk to you about the boy."** He looked at Sasuke, and walked beside him and sniffed his body carefully. He licked some of the extra blood, confirming what he thought.

"**It's worse than you think. You may want her out."** He pointed to Sakura, who was gestured by Kakashi to leave the room.

"**Has this boy by any chance encountered a man that goes by Orochimaru? Or gotten a curse mark jutsu placed on him?"** Kyuubi asked.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Wait, what? This is Orochimaru's doing?"

The fox nodded. **"Unfortunately, yes. That snake did something to that mark, setting it off. This is how he'll be for the rest of his life, which, unless cured, will be at the most, two weeks. It's run on too long now, which is why his condition is so bad. The only problem is, the cure, which is a liquid injection, is only found in the Hidden Sound Village. You'll need to hurry if you want to save him in time. I've been watching everything that's happened through Naruto's eyes ever since he was born, so just judging by what I know, and what he knows, I think the best bet is to bring him to the hospital, and keep him there with the medics. The medics can do what they do. Sedatives and painkillers might be the best way to go for him, and send out a large group of Anbu to go retrieve the cure. The cure they're looking for is called 'the Rapid Mark of the Curse Liquid Injection Cure'"** He explained.

"Got it… thank you very much, Kyuubi." He whispered. Kyuubi nodded, and returned back to Naruto, who stood shocked at what the demon had said.

"W-what do we do?" He asked in a whisper, not trusting his voice. Kakashi sighed sadly and removed the covers, gently lifting Sasuke into his arms, trying hard to ignore Sasuke's cry of pain.

"You heard him Naruto… let's get him to the hospital and send out Anbu. He's only got two weeks left to end this fight for survival."

**End! Thanks for reading! And also, thanks for all of the reviews! I got so many reviews, this chapter came out a lot earlier than what it normally would've taken to write and send out to all of you faithful readers, so keep reviewing please! :) It makes my day to hear what you thought about the chapter and it makes my week to hear that you want more.**

**I love you all!**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	5. Sasuke's Tears

**Within These Empty Walls**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Well here you go… chapter 5… I hope you enjoy!**

***Extra: You wanted it! So you got it! More feverish Sasuke! Thank you to all my faithful reviews asking for requests! I appreciate it! It helps me write the story more to your liking than to my own! Thank you very much!***

**Chapter 5: Sasuke's Tears**

"…_painkillers… two weeks… he's so… hasn't woken… safe… Anbu to go to… retrieve it… very scared… comforting… can't believe… Orochimaru didn't… take the pain away… want it…" _Sasuke could hear parts of conversations from unknown voices. He blinked open his eyes groggily and groaned when he was met with bright blinding lights. Three medics and his sensei all turned to look at him when they realized he had woken up.

"Sasuke." Kakashi greeted as he placed a hand on the boy's head. "How are you feeling?" He asked. Sasuke didn't answer and turned his head to the side, revealing his pale cheek to his sensei. He put a hand on his forehead, and Sasuke noticed that he wasn't wearing his headband.

"Still got quite the fever…" he sighed. "it seems the fever reducers, even the most powerful in the hospital, aren't bringing it down at all…" He whispered sadly.

Sasuke closed his eyes tiredly, not able to fully comprehend what his teacher was saying. He pulled Kakashi's hand towards him more, forcing his sensei to lean down close to him.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked. To his surprise, Sasuke pulled back the covers, motioning for him to lay down next to him.

_Must be his fever making him act this way._ He mused, slowly taking his spot next to Sasuke, who had already drifted into feverish dreams. Kakashi pulled out his book, deciding to read the hours away while the drugs in Sasuke's system kept him asleep for awhile longer.

_~Later~_

Kakashi felt Sasuke stir and he turned to look at his student. He realized Sasuke was sleepily gazing up at him. "Sleep well?" He asked. To his surprise, Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, therefore confusing Kakashi himself.

"Sasuke?" He asked, a little unsurely.

"F-father?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi's visible eye widened. _'What? He thinks I'm his dad? What do I do?'_ He thought.

"I… I knew it…" Sasuke went on, closing his eyes and sighing in relief, clutching Kakashi's arms tightly. "I knew you weren't really dead… Itachi couldn't have killed you…" He murmured, smiling slightly. Kakashi suddenly felt a strong pang of sadness. Sasuke was hallucinating. He would once again feel the hard truth of knowing that his parents weren't coming back.

"Sasuke… I'm not your father, Fugaku. I am Kakashi Hatake, your sensei…" He whispered quietly.

"H-huh? No… you're… my dad…" he whispered, his eyes beginning to slip shut. Kakashi said nothing and waited quietly for sleep to take his student.

"F-father… why aren't you…?" He didn't even have time to finish his question before the fever pulled him under the black blanket of deep, drugged sleep. Kakashi sighed in relief.

_Poor kid…_ he thought to himself.

While Sasuke had slept, an Anbu search team had been assembled in search of the cure. Pressed for time, they had to leave immediately. The team consisted of fifteen Anbu, seven of them being extremely high ranked, two being newly accepted Anbu, and the rest of them just normal ranked. The Hokage decided not to risk them not making it in time back, since Sasuke was the last of the Uchiha clan. She felt guilty that this had even happened to him in the first place. Now, she sat quietly in the room, waiting for him to awaken so she could examine him emotionally.

Kakashi was out of bed, but he was still holding Sasuke's hand, rubbing the top of it with his thumb to soothe Sasuke and reassure him he was still there.

"…Kashi…" he heard a quiet murmur. He noticed Sasuke's eyes just beginning to open.

"Where's… Ka…Kashi…" he asked Tsunade, only seeing her in his vision.

"I'm here Sasuke." He told him, sitting down next to him on the bed instead of standing.

"Kashi… g'ng… be… s'ck…" he suddenly whispered, and Tsunade grabbed the waste basket for him to throw up in. The two medics in the room used a medical jutsu to the best extent just to stop the vomiting. Even the best medical ninjutsu couldn't stop his churning stomach.

The next twenty minutes went by very, very slowly, and consisted of Tsunade mostly talking to Sasuke while he moaned and cried and pleaded for the pain to be taken away, and Kakashi comforting him to the best of his extent. Finally, when Sasuke had cried himself to sleep in Kakashi's arms, the platinum haired ninja looked up at his Hokage.

"Kyuubi was right. Sedatives and painkillers. That's all we can do for two weeks. I don't really want to not let him even wake up for two weeks, but if the pain is going to be this bad…" He sighed. "I don't know what to do…"

Tsunade sighed. "This is an extremely frustrating situation. For now, I will put Sasuke under anesthesia for just a few hours. He's in a lot of pain, and he needs some time to sleep, which the mark isn't allowing to happen. We will see how it goes from there." She explained to Kakashi, who nodded understandably.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." He said. She nodded and after checking the anesthesia levels, left for awhile.

Kakashi sighed sadly and leaned down next to Sasuke's clammy face.

"We'll figure this out for you, Sasuke. We'll get the cure and you'll be back to your normal life soon. I promise…" Kakashi murmured quietly, placing a gentle kiss on his student's forehead, not for romance, but for comfort. He wasn't about to let his student suffer through the two weeks alone. Until the cure was found, he would stay by his side the whole time and make sure he was safe.

"Why can't this have happened to me instead? Sasuke… you're too young. You don't deserve any of this…" he whispered sadly.

He sat down on the chair next to Sasuke's bed, and pulled out his book again. He knew Sasuke wasn't about to wake up anytime soon, but he wasn't using that as an excuse to leave. He tried to read his book slowly so he wouldn't finish it too soon.

Hours later, Tsunade came in the room to find Kakashi laying down next to Sasuke, the both of them both asleep. She smiled to herself and lessened the amount of anesthesia Sasuke was under.

She gently shook Kakashi awake.

"Huh?" He whispered tiredly.

"I'm sure you want to be awake when he wakes up. I'm removing some of the anesthesia so he wakes up. When he's up, I'll remove the rest of it." She said. Kakashi nodded and sat up.

"Thanks…" he whispered.

A few minutes later, Sasuke was slowly beginning to wake up. Tsunade removed a little more so he wasn't as drowsy. He would still be sleepy, but hopefully not as much.

He awoke to Kakashi's hand rubbing his cheek soothingly.

"Kashi… what?" He asked quietly. "What happened?"

"You slept for a few hours." He told him.

"Feel sick…" He moaned. Kakashi held the garbage can by him as he once again emptied his stomach into it. Tsunade removed the anesthesia from his body and got him a glass of water to drink. He barely drank any of it even though his body was severely dehydrated from the fever. It concerned Tsunade but she figured as long as he was forced to drink some water, an IV wouldn't be needed.

"Kashi…" Sasuke whispered hoarsely.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" He asked.

"Father… father was here awhile ago… wasn't he?" He asked. "He… he's alive…"

Kakashi hoped Sasuke had forgotten about that. He sighed sadly. "No Sasuke… you were hallucinating. You though I was your father. I'm sorry." He whispered, pulling him into a hug.

"Oh…" A tear leaked out of Sasuke's eye as once again, reality hit him. He sighed sadly and let Kakashi hold him close and more escaped him and he began to cry again.

"I can't… I can't cry…" he whispered. "Uchiha's don't cry…" He hiccupped.

"Shh… I don't care what Uchiha's can and can't do. I'm your sensei, Sasuke. You can let it out in front of me. I will never judge you for crying, I promise." He whispered soothingly.

Sasuke sobbed when he heard Kakashi's words. He felt relieved he finally had a shoulder to lean on. Kakashi held him closer and comforted him as much as he could. When the sobbing died down, he loosened his grip and realized something surprising.

Sasuke had cried himself to sleep.

**End.**

**Yea… a REALLY crappy chapter ending I know… but I couldn't think of a better way. -_-' Anyways… please review for me.**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	6. Deprived

**Within These Empty Walls**

**By SasukeUchihasGuardian**

**Well here you go! ;) Sorry for the slow update :P Please enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: Deprived**

Kakashi watched as Tsunade carefully inserted an IV drip through Sasuke's wrist while he slept. The drip contained pure water, since the boy was barely drinking anything at all. She checked over Sasuke's vitals, marking everything down on a clipboard so she could later review the information and possible find a way to help him.

Kakashi brushed the bangs back from Sasuke's face, and he felt a small noise come from the back of Sasuke's throat as he began to wake up. He smiled from under his mask, glad he was rousing. He had slept for a good three hours, which seemed like a miracle, since the last few days the longest he could manage was about a half an hour.

It was painful to watch Sasuke when he was awake. To see his favorite student whimpering and screaming and crying out in agony broke his heart. He couldn't stand to see his hallucinating student weakly cry for his parents and his brother. He couldn't stand to tell him the heartbreaking news that he wasn't the father that Sasuke was calling him. He couldn't stand to see Sasuke at the verge of death.

His condition was slowly worsening with each day passing.

He could barely stomach any food without throwing it back up, and when he did, it caused terrible stomach pain. No matter how dehydrated he was, he never drank any water. He no longer had the strength to stand or even to sit up in bed. He was constantly feeling sore, dizzy, and tired, but his body refused to let him sleep long or peacefully. Nightmares haunted even the half an hour naps. Sasuke dreamed of Orochimaru. He dreamed of the terrifying experience he had with him, and the pain of the curse mark that glowed as he slept. It sickened Kakashi.

"Kakashi…" Sasuke's pained voice whispered. Kakashi could hear the slight wheeze to it. "W…water…"

He stood up and got him a cold glass of water in a little plastic cup. He drank about half of it, and then rested his head back against the pillow again. "I don't… feel good…"he murmured tiredly, flopping an arm over his eyes. "Can't they give me more painkillers?"

"They can, but you're the one who doesn't want to be drowsy…" Kakashi sighed.

"I don't care anymore… the pain's too strong." He growled through grit teeth.

Kakashi sighed and called in a nurse, who appeared a few seconds later. Kakashi told her that Sasuke wanted more painkillers, so she went to go fetch a medic. A few seconds later, a medic came in.

"Sasuke Uchiha, correct? My name is Kenichi. You want a higher dosage of painkillers, right?" He asked , in a friendly, calm voice.

Sasuke weakly nodded, so he continued.

"I can either give you a large amount, and you'll probably sleep for a short while, but when you wake up the pain will be a lot less. Or I can give a lighter amount and you'll be pretty drowsy, but you might not sleep right away." He explained. "Which one do you want?"

Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke who just whispered. "First one."

He nodded and took out a syringe filled with a dull green liquid. He injected it into Sasuke's arm, and wiped the blood away. "There you go." He smiled. "Anything else?"

Sasuke shook his head, so he nodded and left to help other patients.

Kakashi sat down on the bed by Sasuke's head and turned to face him. "Good job." He said blandly.

"Hn…." Sasuke was already feeling the effects of it. "Works fast…" as soon as he said that, his eyelids slipped shut. Kakashi laughed quietly, brushing fingers through the beautiful black locks.

_I forgot to ask how long he'd sleep for. Probably not that long... _He thought as he pulled out his book and began reading again.

Sure enough, only ten minutes later, Sasuke was up again. Instead of his usual awakenings with a cry of pain or a grunt of discomfort, he woke up soundlessly. If Kakashi hadn't sensed the stir of chakra, he wouldn't have even known he was awake.

"Sleep well?" Kakashi asked him. Sasuke just blinked heavily, not answering the question. His sensei could immediately tell the drugs had taken effect on him.

He patted his head and just stroked through his hair, continuing to read his book. He would every once in awhile hear a deep breath or a silent word pass through Sasuke's parted lips, but for the most part, he was silent.

Kakashi looked down at him and realized his eyes were halfway shut, and he went back to his book, glad Sasuke was falling asleep, but he suddenly was alert as he felt Sasuke's whole entire body jolt upwards.

"Sasuke?" He whispered unsurely.

"ITACHI!" Sasuke screamed as tears began to flood from his eyes. "ITACHI NO! STOP IT! ITACHI!" He cried. Sobs escaped from him as he grabbed his head and tugged his hair.

"Sasuke! Stop!" Kakashi whispered, wondering what had set the boy off. He didn't understand how Sasuke suddenly had the energy to move so much. He was practically thrashing as his sensei tried his best to calm him down.

What Kakashi didn't know, is Orochimaru had placed a jutsu on Sasuke's body, so he could use a clone to sneak into the hospital room, and only Sasuke could see him. Before Sasuke could say anything, it had used genjutsu to entrap Sasuke into a dreamlike place where he had to watch Itachi kill everybody close to him.

Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs, even when Kakashi pulled him tightly to his chest to try and calm him down. Kakashi whispered words of comfort but it was no use.

"Sasuke it's okay…" He whispered, but since Sasuke was still trapped in the genjutsu, he couldn't even hear Kakashi's voice. He was still watching as Itachi killed everybody in a gory way.

"STOP IT!" He cried out, sobbing into Kakashi's vest. Kakashi could believe Sasuke wasn't even calming down. He figured the only reason nurses and doctors weren't coming in was because they were used to hearing him screaming from the nightmares, and now they knew what it was.

"Sasuke… calm down… it's okay…" Sasuke still didn't stop. After a good ten minutes, the clone ran out of chakra, and released the genjutsu, disappearing from sight. Sasuke finally stopped crying and panted roughly as he tried to regain himself. Kakashi pressed him tighter against his chest.

"Sasuke… calm down… it was just a dream… you're okay… you're okay… "he whispered softly.

Kakashi noticed the screaming had finally stopped, replaced with sobs and cries as Sasuke finally had gotten a grip on reality.

"Kakashi!" He sobbed into the green vest, squeezing the fabric in a death grip. Kakashi wrapped his arms around him tighter as he rocked him, his body gently swaying back in forth as an attempt to soothe him. He whispered words of comfort and stroked through his hair. He didn't care how long he sat there, rocking his frightened student that had lost all of his pride and his sanity to a demon like Orochimaru. All he cared about was Sasuke being okay.

It had taken three and a half hours, even with the strong painkillers and a light sedative in his system, of Kakashi's slow rocking and soothing words to finally put Sasuke to sleep. He wouldn't stop sobbing the entire time. Kakashi refused to lie him down in fear he would wake up again. Instead, he called Tsunade in through the button on the bed. Through the microphone, he whispered. "Tsunade, get in here. Now."

Within a few minutes, the Hokage was in the room. She paused when she saw Kakashi holding Sasuke so gently. "Is he asleep?" She asked, quietly walking up to him. He nodded and she put a hand to his forehead, sending chakra through his system to examine him.

"His body is so out of control right now." Even in his sleep, his breath would hitch every ten seconds or so, which was enough to inform Tsunade that he had been crying. Hard.

"What exactly happened in here?" She asked.

Kakashi explained to her. "Sasuke was drugged up on some painkillers, and I was just reading. I looked down and his eyes were half shut so I figured he was fine and just normally falling asleep. Suddenly, he just screamed Itachi and began screaming and crying his lungs out. I tried to comfort him but no use. He must've sat there screaming for a half an hour before he finally stopped and just continued bawling. I held him and rocked him and whispered comforting words to him for three and a half hours before he finally fell asleep, still crying, in my arms." He explained, stroking Sasuke's hair more. Tsunade jotted everything down. "I can't believe he did that. I have no idea what set him off. You didn't mention anything about his brother did you?" He shook his head.

"I've learned that in his highly drugged state, his mind is pretty unstable, and little things like saying brother upsets him, but I'm not sure what caused him to go off like that. A memory, perhaps? Anyway, if he's went this long sobbing like that and without any rest at all, especially with that mark hurting him as much as it is, he needs some rest. I think it's best he's sedated for at least a few hours." She sighed. "When he's fully put under, I can have the medics that can check him over emotionally and mentally. Hopefully we can see what's wrong, but because of what Orochimaru did to him, I wouldn't be too surprised if things like this become a regular thing. Kakashi, are you sure you want to continue going through with this?" She asked.

"Of course. He's my student. I'm not about to let Orochimaru get in the way. He needs me now more than ever." He said. "I'm not leaving him." He felt Sasuke snuggle into him more, and he put a hand on his back. Tsunade watched Sasuke's actions and sighed.

"Even in his sleep huh? Alright. I'll rearrange stuff with the medics. You will be allowed to stay here at all times. You may eat, shower, and sleep here. You can stay with Sasuke." She nodded.

"Thank you, Tsunade." He whispered in relief.

She nodded, and prepared the anesthesia. Even though Kakashi laid Sasuke down as gently as he could, Sasuke still woke up to the loss of contact, but with Tsunade holding the mask over his mouth and nose, his weak struggles against it died down and he slowly drifted off. Kakashi sighed and watched Tsunade finish up and leave afterwards.

"I won't let Orochimaru or Itachi hurt you Sasuke… I promise." He whispered to the sleeping boy, sealing the promise with a gentle kiss on the forehead.

**End! Here's an extra long chapter for the long wait! I'm so sorry about that! I hope you enjoyed! PLEASE review! :D**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**


	7. Anbu Report

**Within These Empty Walls**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Chapter 7: Anbu Report**

Sasuke stared blankly at the ceiling, listening to Kakashi mindlessly ramble on about past missions, hoping to find some way of entertaining his student. After all, Sasuke couldn't even sit up in bed, so he was very limited on options when it came to doing stuff. He would never admit it, but Kakashi was comforting to have around. He was very emotional, much to his embarrassment, but Kakashi thankfully understood him.

"Sasuke… are you alright?" He asked, seeing the boy lost in thought. Sasuke blinked at him.

"Yea…" He sighed.

Kakashi continued on with the story until he saw Sasuke's eyes growing more and more tired. He began to talk a little slower. It only took a few more minutes for Sasuke to drift off. He took the chance to run home quick and shower. He had barely spent any time outside of the hospital, worrying Tsunade, but he declined every time she brought it up.

Kakashi made sure the medics knew he had left so they could sedate Sasuke. Last time he had left and Sasuke had woken up, he went into hysterics, screaming his lungs out for Kakashi, thinking he had abandoned him. He was extremely feverish at the time, but Kakashi wasn't about to take the chances of it happening again, and neither were the medics.

Kakashi showered as quickly as possible. He went to grab some food, and then quickly returned to the hospital. Sasuke was thankfully still asleep with a medic by his side, but he was just beginning to wake up.

Kakashi stayed by him and patted his head softly when Sasuke opened his eyes. Sasuke looked up at him and sighed weakly.

"You showered?" He asked.

Kakashi's visible eye showed amusement. "Really now… how did you know?" He asked.

"You don't smell." He said, smirking a little.

"Great to know you haven't lost your humorous side to you." He smiled, taking his seat. The medic smiled at Kakashi and then nodded to Sasuke, leaving the room to go report that he had woken up.

Sasuke felt a little drowsy from the sedatives, but he didn't let it get in the way of talking to Kakashi. He sighed as he felt a headache form on top of his dizziness and he moaned in annoyance.

"Kakashi… it's been ten days now… when are the Anbu coming with the cure?" He moaned. "Everything hurts… my emotions are unstable… I'm too weak to do anything… Orochimaru will never tell why he did this to me…"

Kakashi lowered his eyes. He really wished he had the power to allow Sasuke to just sleep through the rest of the time. He hated seeing Sasuke feeling so powerless and vulnerable. He wished he could take the pain away or find the cure himself.

"I wish I knew, Sasuke. They'll be here soon, I promise. It won't take more than two weeks…" he whispered to him.

Sasuke just buried his face in the pillow. "I hope so…"

_~Later~_

"Where are the Anbu right now?" Kakashi asked Tsunade. She had came in to give Sasuke a checkup as he slept.

"The last report I had received from them was yesterday at 8:16 PM. They were very close to Orochimaru's base. They had to move slowly because they didn't know the area very well. They said that this morning they would attack at exactly 8:00 AM. The trip back should take no more than 24 hours." Tsunade informed him.

Kakashi looked at the clock and realized it was already five.

_They must be done by now. Hurry up with that report! _He thought. He looked at Sasuke's sleeping form. He watched as Tsunade pulled the blanket back, revealing his bare chest. His ribs were now clearly visible and he looked nothing but skin and bone. Had he not known the situation, he would've accused Sasuke of being anorexic. Tsunade pressed her fingertips against his ribs, earning a moan of discomfort. She pressed against the skin on the base of his neck and Sasuke's breath hitched and then he hissed in pain.

"He's becoming frail. At this point, it's better that he doesn't move at all. We'll feed him through a tube, and hydrate him through more IVs. Higher doses of painkillers will be needed, and he'll probably sleep a lot more than usual. If this goes on for more than three days, he'll lose his ability to move, talk, and maybe even blink. He might lose his senses and not be able to feel, hear, and taste. It might get to the point where he may even stop breathing." She sighed sadly.

Kakashi grabbed his student's hand gently, holding it his own.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you… this is my entire fault." He whispered, feeling tears prick his eyes.

"This is no one's fault but Orochimaru's, Kakashi." Tsunade said, adding a small painkiller to Sasuke's IV.

Kakashi was about to answer when a cry of a hawk came from behind him. A hawk flew in the room and handed Tsunade a scroll. Tsunade nodded to it, and it flew back out of the window in a blink of an eye.

Tsunade opened the scroll and began reading, Kakashi looking over her shoulder, knowing it was a report from the Anbu in charge of finding the cure.

_S-rank mission retrieve the cure for the curse mark report:_

_Mission successful. The objective, an injection of a purple liquid, is now secured with us. Two lives were lost. Aoi Miyoshi and Kenichi Hoshi. Anbu IDs 19075 and 45188. Will take 24 hours to return to the village. Injection is to be given through arm and be given two hours to take full effect. No side effects. Should be fully sedated when injection is given. Orochimaru was not encountered. Reasoning for using jutsu is unknown._

_Daisuke Hayate – 39042_

Kakashi sighed in relief. Help was coming. Sasuke would be fine. He looked at Tsunade and smiled behind his mask, knowing Sasuke would be alright.

He looked down and noticed Sasuke was awake, staring at him, confused.

"Well Sasuke… looks like this will all be over soon." He said, earning a relieved sigh and smile from Sasuke as his heavy eyes slipped shut again and he slid into dreams once again.

**End.**

**Oh yea! Another chapter! Please review everybody!**

**._. I know it was really boring and pointless… please don't kill me. Next chapter is either the last, or 2nd to last chapter! ^_^**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**

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	8. The Cure for the Curse

**Within These Empty Walls**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian~**

**Well here you go! Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 8: The Cure for the Curse**

Sasuke was heavily drugged up enough to the point where he wasn't forced asleep, but was very drowsy and ended up sleeping more than he normally did. The normal half an hour naps became hour naps, and his time awake was split in half as well. Knowing that help was coming and that Sasuke would be alright, Kakashi stayed by his side the whole time, along with a medic, who took his vitals every five minutes and recorded them. Since his condition was so bad, it was necessary, since Tsunade had explained that he could easily go into cardiac arrest at any time.

"You have to make it through this, Sasuke. Help is coming. You'll be back to your old self soon, just hang in there." Kakashi had whispered to him as he brushed the bangs out of his student's eyes since he was too weak to do it himself.

"I will sensei…" Sasuke had weakly replied, giving him the smallest of smiles. It was enough to reassure the platinum haired teacher at the time, but not anymore. Not when he was looking at his lost student, too weak to even talk anymore, lying in the hospital bed, almost as pale as the sheets he lied on. White. Everything in the hospital was white. The sheets, the walls, the cloaks that the medics wore… it was too plain. As if they figured since the patients were going to die, they had no need to keep the liveliness of color in the rooms that they would die in.

Kakashi squeezed Sasuke's hand when he saw his eyelids flicker open. He opened his mouth as if trying to tell him something, but Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to speak. Then, as quiet as a mouse, his eyelids slipped shut again, and the thirteen year old boy fell back into dreams. The only thing proving to Kakashi that he was alive was the _beep beep_ of the heart monitor, which showed him that his heart was beating slower than it should be.

_Beep… beep… beep… beep… beep…_

"Stay strong, Sasuke." He whispered quietly to his student.

…_Beep… …beep… …beep… …beep…_

"Sasuke?" He whispered unsurely, seeing his student take one shaky, abnormal breath in.

…_Beep… …beep… …BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_

"SASUKE!" He screamed, making the medic that was in the room jump to action quickly. Four other medics rushed in at once and they immediately began rolling the bed out of the room.

"What's going to happen? What happened? Sasuke!" Kakashi screamed, trying to stay with them, but as more medics rushed in, some pulled him back.

"Let me see him! Sasuke!" He screamed, until the medics ran out of sight.

"We'll bring him back in here when they're done working on him." The female reassured him as she followed the medics out, leaving Kakashi standing on cold feet, worried that his student would die only hours before the cure came.

_~Later~_

Kakashi waited for four hours before the medics finally wheeled him back into the room. Kakashi immediately stood up from his chair and rushed to his side.

"Sasuke!" He gasped, scanning his student's body.

There was an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, and various IVs attached in his wrists. There was multiple needles and tubes going into his body for unknown reasons to Kakashi. He brushed a gloved hand through Sasuke's bangs and watched as his eyes opened halfway, only to slip back shut again. He put his hand on Sasuke's cheek this time, rubbing it gently, trying to warm it up since it was so cold and pale.

"We had to drug him heavily so he wouldn't feel pain if he woke up, so he's a little out of it. Even though he can't talk, we judge it by his eye movements. He's currently stable, though weak. He'll still need to be watched closely again, basically the same as before." They told Kakashi, who nodded and watched them hook him back up to the heart monitor and various other machines again. The familiar beeping of the machines came back to life again, and it felt relieving to Kakashi. He sat down by Sasuke's bedside again and squeezed his hand, once again ignoring the awkward looks from the medic.

_~Timeskip~_

Sasuke went into cardiac arrest three more times that day. His condition was extremely unstable and Kakashi didn't know how much more Sasuke could take. The life support Sasuke was on could hold him off for now, but if ANBU didn't make it soon, Sasuke would be the one to not make it.

Kakashi knew that he had cried that day. He cried more than once too. He felt he had failed as a sensei, and as a fatherly figure. When Sasuke's eyes were open, Kakashi would talk to him, not even sure if he could hear his voice. He spook soothingly and calmly anyway, to not scare his student.

When Sasuke went into cardiac arrest ten minutes later for the fifth time that day, the medics knew this would be the last time they could revive him. They had no idea if he'd even be the same after all of them. Kakashi sat in the room that was now occupied by only him. He heard the door being opened, and he gasped and turned around as he stood up, but instead of seeing medics and Sasuke, he saw three Anbu walk in, the one in front carrying a syringe.

"Where's Uchiha Sasuke?" He asked.

"He had his fifth heart attack. The medics said he might not make it through this one." Kakashi growled. "What took you so long?" He yelled angrily.

"We were attacked by sound ninja." The one next to him, a female, spoke up. "We're sorry about your student. We came as fast as we could." He explained, sitting down beside him. The other Anbu leaned up against the wall and waited to hear about Sasuke's condition.

Three hours later, medics walked in, wheeling in Sasuke's bed, with the remaining Uchiha still lying unmoving on top of it.

"He barely pulled through, and by barely I mean he's hanging by a thread right now…" He whispered. He turned and looked at the Anbu. "And… who are you?"

"They have the antidote." Kakashi told him. The medics got him situated and quickly took the syringe from the Anbu.

"Hold it. He needs to be sedated fully and then be allowed two hours for it to take effect." Kakashi warned them.

Sasuke was awake to watch them bring the anesthesia mask over his face, and he would've fought if he had the strength, but he couldn't. When he was fully asleep, they injected the cure through his arm, and kept him asleep for the two hours. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.

Two hours later, Kakashi sat in the same place he always stayed, holding Sasuke's hand.

_What if they got the wrong one? What if they were tricked to give Sasuke poison?_ He thought. _Can we really trust the sound?_

Sasuke's eyes blinked open, and he looked around the room confused and unaware.

"Sasuke?" He heard his name being called, and his gaze shifted to the side where he locked eyes with his sensei. Kakashi brushed a hand over his student's bangs, and then placed his gloved hand on his cheek.

Sasuke's eyes widened a little more, and he stared at his teacher with a little bit of confusion. His lips parted as he spoke the word that Kakashi couldn't have been more grateful to hear.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

**End! Sorry about the bad ending… but the story is officially over! I will continue writing other stories though so this isn't the end of me, don't worry!**

**What happens to Sasuke afterwards is up to you to decide. There will be no sequels, sorry.**

**Please review and let me know what you thought of it!**

**Until next story~**

**~SasukeUchihasGuardian**

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